Kaltukatjara, also known as Docker River, is a remote

Indigenous Australian Indigenous Australians are people with familial heritage from, or recognised membership of, the various ethnic groups living within the territory of contemporary Australia prior to History of Australia (1788–1850), British colonisation. The ...

community in the

Northern Territory The Northern Territory (abbreviated as NT; known formally as the Northern Territory of Australia and informally as the Territory) is an states and territories of Australia, Australian internal territory in the central and central-northern regi ...

Australia Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country comprising mainland Australia, the mainland of the Australia (continent), Australian continent, the island of Tasmania and list of islands of Australia, numerous smaller isl ...

. It is southwest of

Alice Springs Alice Springs () is a town in the Northern Territory, Australia; it is the third-largest settlement after Darwin, Northern Territory, Darwin and Palmerston, Northern Territory, Palmerston. The name Alice Springs was given by surveyor William ...

, west of the

Stuart Highway Stuart Highway is a major Australian highway. It runs from Darwin, Northern Territory, Darwin, in the Northern Territory, via Tennant Creek and Alice Springs, to Port Augusta in South Australia; it has a distance of . Its northern and souther ...

, near the

Western Australia Western Australia (WA) is the westernmost state of Australia. It is bounded by the Indian Ocean to the north and west, the Southern Ocean to the south, the Northern Territory to the north-east, and South Australia to the south-east. Western Aust ...

and

border. The township is on a

wadi Wadi ( ; ) is a river valley or a wet (ephemerality, ephemeral) Stream bed, riverbed that contains water only when heavy rain occurs. Wadis are located on gently sloping, nearly flat parts of deserts; commonly they begin on the distal portion ...

called the Docker Creek on the north side of the west end of the Petermann Ranges in the southwest corner of the

of Australia. At the 2006 census, Kaltukatjara had a population of 355.

History

A permanent settlement at "Docker River" was established in 1968 to relieve pressure on the Warburton settlement and provide an opportunity for

Aboriginal people There is no generally accepted definition of Indigenous peoples, although in the 21st century the focus has been on self-identification, cultural difference from other groups in a state, a special relationship with their traditional territ ...

to live closer to their homelands. PY Media states that Kaltukatjara acquired its European name "Docker River" from explorer

Ernest Giles William Ernest Powell Giles (20 July 1835 – 13 November 1897), best known as Ernest Giles, was an Australian explorer. He led five major expeditions to parts of South Australia and Western Australia. Early life Ernest Giles was born in Bris ...

, as well as other history, as follows:

The site that is now Kaltukatjara was originally named Docker River by Ernest Giles during his expedition of 1872.

Pastors Duguid and Strehlow surveyed the area in the 1930s with a view to establishing a settlement for the people in the area. It was decided not to proceed with this at that time. During the 30s and 40s Luther(a)n missionaries told the Pitjantjatjara people of the Kaltukatjara area to go to Areyonga (then an outstation of
Hermannsburg mission The Hermannsburg Mission () was founded as the Hermannsburg Mission Centre (''Missionsanstalt Hermannsburg'') in 1849 in Hermannsburg, near Celle, North Germany, by Louis Harms. In 1977, the independent mission society was merged into the work ...
) where they would be supplied with food and clothing. Although many Anangu moved in of their own free will, some stayed in the Petermanns.

In the 1960s Areyonga Anangu strongly desired to move back to the area around Docker River and with government assistance a permanent settlement was established there in 1967-8. Over 300 Anangu moved to establish the new settlement.

By the proclamation of the '' Aboriginal Lands Rights (N.T.) Act, 1976'', Anangu in the region gained freehold title to these traditional lands an area of 44,970 square kilometres.

The settlement was funded as an outstation during the 1980s.PDF
/ref> In 2009,

feral camel Australian feral camels are introduced populations of dromedary, or one-humped, camel (''Camelus dromedarius''—from the Middle East, North Africa and the Indian Subcontinent). Imported to Australia as valuable beasts of burden from British ...

s had become a major problem for local residents. Around 6,000 animals entered the town searching for water. Preparations for an emergency cull of using a sharpshooter were underway.

Geography

Kaltukatjara lies on the Tjukaruru Road which becomes the Great Central Road when it crosses into

7 kilometres to the west.

Climate

Based upon the climate records of the nearest weather station at Giles across the border to the west in

, Kaltukatjara experiences summer maximum temperatures of an average of 37.2 degrees Celsius in January and a winter maximum average temperature of 19.9 degrees Celsius in July. Overnight lows range from a mean minimum temperature of 23.5 degrees in January to 6.8 degrees in June. Annual rainfall averages 284.2 millimetres.

Demographics

The 2001 ABS Census recorded that there were 297 people living in the community, an increase of 20 on the 277 people disclosed in the 1997 Census. The people speak

Pitjantjatjara The Pitjantjatjara (; or ) are an Aboriginal people of the Central Australian desert near Uluru. They are closely related to the Yankunytjatjara and Ngaanyatjarra and their languages are, to a large extent, mutually intelligible (all are v ...

and

Ngaatjatjarra The Ngaatjatjarra (otherwise spelt Ngadadjara) are an Indigenous Australian people of Western Australia, with communities located in the north eastern part of the Goldfields-Esperance region. Name The ethnonym Ngaatjatjarra essentially translat ...

, and largely identify as Anangu. The 2001 Census revealed that Kaltukatjara was second only to its northern neighbour Kintore in the having the highest proportion of its population engaged in health and community services (26.3%).

Governance

Before 2008-07-01, Kaltukatjara was served by the Kaltukatjara Community Council, composed of twelve residents who are elected annually. The Council served as the local government and qualified as a "

local government area A local government area (LGA) is an administrative division of a country that a local government is responsible for. The size of an LGA varies by country but it is generally a subdivision of a federated state, state, province, division (politica ...

". On 2008-07-01, it became part of the MacDonnell Region.

Facilities

Water for the Kaltukatjara supply system is obtained from three bores, one located near the ground tanks and one approximately 1.5 km west of the community. There are 3 ground tanks and 1 raised tank in the community. Water quality is of a high standard with chlorine needed only on rare occasions. Kaltukatjara has a sewerage system and some houses are fitted with their own septic tanks. Electricity is provided by three diesel power generators. Roads within the township are sealed, but the Petermann Road (the main road to the community) is unsealed. Kaltukatjara has an airstrip, general store (with petrol supplies), Tjarlirli Art centre and gallery, recreation hall, aged care facility, health centre, school, two public telephones, an Australian Rules football oval and basketball court. By 2017 the airstrip had been paved, along with the access road from town. There is a

Lutheran church Lutheranism is a major branch of Protestantism that emerged under the work of Martin Luther, the 16th-century German friar and reformer whose efforts to reform the theology and practices of the Catholic Church launched the Reformation in 15 ...

with a resident pastor, overseen by the Lutheran Church's Finke River Mission board.PY Media Waru website

References

External links

PY Media Waru website

Google Maps satellite image of Katukatjara

{{authority control Aboriginal communities in the Northern Territory Towns in the Northern Territory MacDonnell Region